Hundreds of Egyptians cheered former UN atomic watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei on Friday as he took his political reform campaign to the streets of the Nile Delta town of Mansura."Oh, ElBaradei... Egypt wants democracy!" and "There are thousands of alternatives in Egypt, ElBaradei is proof," chanted supporters of the high-profile dissident.
The rally in Mansura, a university town half way between Cairo and the Mediterranean Sea, drew students dressed in T-shirts bearing his image, as well as activists ranging from doctors to taxi drivers.
"Everyone in Mansura is with ElBaradei. We want change, we support him because we want anyone other than the regime. We have no alternative than ElBaradei," said Hisham, a 26-year-old engineer.
ElBaradei, 67, has said he is willing to stand against President Hosni Mubarak in 2011 on condition that the election is free and fair and that the constitution is revised to ease candidacy restrictions.
Last week, Mohamed ElBaradei was spotted walking along el-Moezz Street a few minutes before Friday prayer. The potential contender for the 2011 presidential election later performed the prayer alongside other visitors at Al-Hussein Mosque.
Security sources confirmed they had learned about the visit early Friday morning. The Interior Ministry sent eight central security trucks which lined up on Al-Azhar Street, opposite the mosque. Dozens of officers were deployed to monitor the situation.
ElBaradei made the decision to visit Al-Hussein on Wednesday afternoon. He informed hims family and a limited number of members from the Independent Popular Campaign to Support ElBaradei for the Presidency, who were visiting his home at the time.
